Two arrested over 37.4 million dinar fake invoice chain
Serbian police say 37,428,000 dinars moved through fake invoices between December 2024 and February 2025, leaving the state budget short by about 14.92 million dinars in unpaid tax.
Two men have been arrested on suspicion of moving 37,428,000 dinars through fake invoices and leaving the state budget almost 15 million dinars short. The operation was carried out by the Criminal Police Directorate, its anti-corruption service, together with the Tax Administration and its tax police sector, and the arrests were announced on July 29 by the Interior Ministry (MUP).
The men in custody are J. C. (38) from Sabac and Z. T. (48) from Novi Sad. They are accused of tax fraud, tax evasion and money laundering. Both can be held for up to 48 hours, after which they are handed over to the Higher Public Prosecutor’s Office in Novi Sad and its special department for combating corruption.
Where the money went
Investigators say the transfers ran from December 2024 to February 2025. The money passed through companies where N. K. (33) and B. T. (48) from Belgrade were the responsible officers, then into a personal account held by N. K, and was withdrawn in cash. Each transfer rested on an invoice for work that was never done.
The figures released by the ministry:
- 37,428,000 dinars moved on fake invoices
- roughly 14,920,000 dinars in unpaid tax owed to the Serbian budget
- a window of three months, from December 2024 to February 2025
Set those two numbers side by side and the arithmetic of the scheme becomes clear. The unpaid tax is close to 40 percent of everything that ran through the chain.
Why are the two Belgrade men not being arrested now?
Because they are already in detention. N. K. and B. T. are named in the same criminal complaint, but under regular procedure, since they are being held on an earlier complaint for the same offences.
That links two cases into one story. The first opened up the circle of Belgrade companies and accounts where the money turned into cash. This one moves upstream, to Sabac and Novi Sad, and reaches the men suspected of putting the invoices into the system in the first place.
What remains outstanding for the state is 14.92 million dinars, a claim pursued alongside the criminal case. The prosecution in Novi Sad decides what happens next. All four men are treated as suspects until a final verdict.
